Remembering Michael Kamen's best soundtracks

Michael Kamen was a composer recognized especially for his creations of soundtracks for the cinematographic world. He stood out for his musical composition for the Robin Hood film, this being one of his most emblematic soundtracks. The musician was nominated for an Oscar twice and won four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, two Ivor Novello Awards, an Emmy and an Annie. In addition, Michael Kamen also stood out for his collaborations with different singers and musical groups such as Pink Floyd, Queen, Eric Clapton, David Bowie or Metallica, among others. A master of music who is remembered to this day.

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Who is Michael Kamen?

Michael Kamen was American orchestral music composer, arranger, lyricist and session musician. He specialized in composing film soundtracks, achieving fame and recognition thanks to his iconic soundtrack for Robin Hood. He studied at the Juilliard's School for Music Dance and Drama in New York, where he formed his first band, 'The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble'. This group was made up of three students from Juilliard's school: Marty Fulterman, Dorian Rudnytsky and Kamen himself, as well as two rock musicians, Brian Corrigan and Clif Nivison. Michael was dedicated to keyboards, oboe, English horn, synthesizer, and voice. These were his beginnings, beginnings in which his talent was already recognized, with the combinations that his group made, using classical music instruments in rock songs and vice versa.

Michael Kamen worked briefly with renowned composer Leonard Bernstein in his early days, which provided experience and a broad base of musical theory. Little by little he made a name for himself in the world of music, collaborating with great artists like Bob Dylan and David Bowie during his early years. At the end of the 70s Kamen had already collaborated on a Pink Floyd album and was beginning to write scores for film soundtracks. At first, he wrote all his compositions on paper, until he discovered 'Sibelius'. With this computer program, Kamen could write the score on the computer while playing his notes and melodies, which made his work easier.

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The composer began working on the soundtracks of various film productions, in addition to collaborating with renowned groups. In 1991 came one of his greatest successes with the film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves', its iconic soundtrack.. Following his success as a composer and his participation in the film 'Mr. Holland's Opus' in 1995, Kamen created the Mr. Holland Opus Foundation. This organization donates musical instruments to students, with the main goal of helping them reach their greatest potential and closing the gap that exists in underserved communities.

Michael Kamen's musical style

Michael Kamen stood out for his taste and preferences for both classical music and rock. The composer liked to mix instruments and melodies from both musical genres, creating very original sounds for his time. He used rock instruments in classical compositions, and classical music instruments in rock compositions, creating unique melodies and compositions, which gave him an unusual personal style.

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American composer soundtracks

The composer was the creator of numerous soundtracks for well-known films. In 1985 he created the musical album for the film 'Brazil'. The following year came the composition of the theme for the film 'Highlander', with which he obtained success and recognition, to give way in 1987 to the soundtrack of 'Lethal Weapon', in which he participated with David Sanborn and Eric Clapton. In 1988 he composed the soundtrack for the film 'Die Hard', and a year later he created the soundtrack for the renowned film 'License to kill'. In 1991, one of his most recognized and emblematic creations arrived: the soundtrack for the film 'Robin Hood: prince of thieves'. In 2000 he composed the soundtrack for the well-known saga 'X Men', with his first film.

Regarding his participation in soundtracks, Kamen also composed songs for different television series. His best-known works in this area are the songs he created for the soundtrack of the 1998 miniseries 'FThe Earth to The Moon rom', and the complete composition of the soundtrack of the series 'band of brothers' from the year 2001.

Michael Kamen Recognitions: Awards and Prizes

Kamen was nominated for an Oscar twice and received four Grammy Awards, as well as two Golden Globes. On the other hand, the composer also won two Ivor Novello Awards and an Emmy. Michael Kamen won numerous awards, including the Annie Award and the BAFTA Award he received with musician Eric Clapton for their joint collaboration in the 1985 miniseries 'Edge of Darkness'.

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The success of the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack

In 1991 it premiered 'Robin Hood', a film with which Kamen triumphed in the world of soundtracks: 'Michael Kamen Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'. This soundtrack highlights the song that opens the film, 'Overture And A Prisoner Of The Crusades', one of the best-known songs of all the compositions in the film. In addition, we can also highlight the theme of 'Marian At The Waterfall', a beautiful and very melodic song, and a symbol of the film. With this soundtrack, Michael Kamen triumphed as a composer and was nominated for several awards, receiving his first two Grammys: the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Kamen is considered one of the best musicians of his time, as far as soundtracks are concerned. His songs and compositions have marked an entire generation that grew up with his cinematic melodies., songs that marked all the productions in which he participated. He has created soundtracks for renowned films and series such as 'License to Kill', 'X-Men' or the renowned television series 'Band of Brothers'. Although, without a doubt, his greatest success was the creation of the Robin Hood soundtrack.

For this reason, in the new 2022/23 tour of the Film Symphony Orchestra, called Krypton, Heroes and superheroes in concert, we will perform songs from this film and its special soundtrack, honoring Michael Kamen with one of his most emblematic compositions that propelled him to success and international recognition.